


Best Shot - For the Rest of our Lives

by twelveisagoodone



Series: The Tales of Us [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: And she has two children, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Lucy is Malcolm sister, Malcolm is such an idiot sometimes, Romance, but they love each other so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28459026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twelveisagoodone/pseuds/twelveisagoodone
Summary: He had planned the moment for months, thought of each step hundreds of times, to make it perfect and memorable and happy for her. But how to expect perfection from a broken soul like his? Lucky for him that the light of her smile was there to brighten and warm her dark days. Forever.
Relationships: Clara Oswin Oswald/Malcolm Tucker
Series: The Tales of Us [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/303477
Kudos: 14





	Best Shot - For the Rest of our Lives

**Author's Note:**

> This one it's not betaed, so all the mistakes are mine. But the thing is it has been laying in the dark of my computer disk for far too long, and despite had been written to be one chapter of "Best Shot", now it will be alive on its own, for Malcolm and Clara. Enjoy it.

g, from him to her. Her head rested on his chest, an old movie on the telly long time forgotten while she talked quietly and his long fingers lazily played with a strand of her soft brown hair.

“We should do something different next weekend,” she placed one hand against his chest to lift her head so she could look him in the eyes. “Maybe we could go to that new exhibition at the Tate. The one I told you about the other day.”

“Maybe,” he half smiled, completely lost in the velvet brown of her eyes. 

“Or maybe we can go on a little trip? You and me, a fireplace and good wine in a cottage lost in the middle of nowhere,” her eyes twinkled and he struggled against the urge of kissing her at an appearance of an adorable dimple. She shifted a little, leaning against the couch backrest to have a better view of his face, waiting for his answer, but he was so mesmerised by the soft curve of her lips right now that he could barely think straight.

“Maybe,” he finally managed to say, his voice raspy, unable to control his eyes that slowly traced her beloved features, memorising them all over again.

“Or do you prefer the theatre? There are some new good plays I’ve heard about,” she was all excited and he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her, completely besotted for the lovely spark in her brown ones. “Oh! Or maybe we-”

“Or maybe we can get married,” he whispered, his heart hammering so hard in his chest he was sure that she could hear it. 

It took her a couple of agonising seconds to react. Malcolm felt something twisting painfully inside his chest when she looked at him with a smile, the clear amusement in her eyes making him immediately regret his words. But now it was too late to take them back.

“But maybe this is just a really fucking bad idea,” he mumbled and gently disentangled himself from her to stand up. Urging to put some space between them, he walked to the kitchen, head bowed in an attempt to hide the hurt that now should be so very clear on his face.

How stupid of him to think she would like to marry him. He felt something breaking inside him, probably what was left of his heart. But the warm touch of her fingers on his skin, gently encircling his wrist prevented him from moving further, though he didn’t dare to turn around and face her. 

“Malcolm?” Her voice was gentle and she tugged lightly on his hand coercing him to look at her, which he did after a quick moment of hesitation. There was something else in her eyes, something new that got straight into his heart, but he didn’t dare to hope. Not yet.

“Are you serious?”

Her question was just one more stab on his chest, but Malcolm managed to hide his emotions well. Or so he thought because he couldn’t look her straight in the eyes when he finally spoke.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat, the hoarseness of his voice betraying him. “I know I’m rubbish on this. And… I’m sorry,” he swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly too dry. “We have never really talked about it before… I know it was a fucking stupid idea, so, please, just forget it, right?” He tried to walk away but she didn’t let go of him, her delicate fingers still wrapped around his wrist and, firmly but gently, she forced him to stay.

“You’re right.” 

Something in her tone prompted him to look back at her again. There was a spark in her eyes alongside the glint of unshed tears, he could tell, but her words had just confused him and he thought that maybe he was still misreading the signs. Her silence only increased his anxiety, but he waited, noticing her struggle with words. When her voice sounded again, he couldn’t ignore the raw emotion in it. 

“You’re right,” she said once more, shaking her head slightly, “it was a rubbish proposal. Probably the worst in history.”

His foolish heart skipped a beat when she breathed out a short laugh.

“And yes, we’ve never talked about it before,” she gave one more step towards him to close the gap between them, small fingers entwining with his long ones. “But you are wrong in one of your assumptions, Malcolm Tucker.”

Her other hand came over his chest, covering the exact place where his heart hammered inside of him, so hard and so loud that she probably could feel it under her fingertips. His breath caught in his throat when she went on her tiptoes, eyes fixed intently on his, a hint of a dimple at one cheek.

“This is possibly the best idea you already have,” she whispered on his lips a second before she kissed him tenderly and Malcolm felt himself melting against her. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and pulled her hard against him, responding to her kiss with passion. He felt her smile against his lips and the salty taste of tears, hers or his he couldn’t tell. 

He had never believed that someone could burst of happiness until now because he felt like his heart would explode. He broke the kiss but kept her close to his chest, arms holding her tight as if he would never let her go.

“Clara…” He whispered in her hair before she lifted her head to look at him, so much love in her eyes that he almost couldn’t believe it was really happening. “I love you, so, so much.”

Her smile widened and it was so bright and so beautiful that his heart ached, so full of love for her. 

“And I love you too, Malc. With all my heart. And please, never, ever, doubt this,” she touched his face lovingly and he leant in for another kiss, trying to put all the force of his love for her into it. 

Then he suddenly moved away and, kissing the back of her hand, turned around to run upstairs, leaving a slightly confused Clara standing in the middle of the living room watching him with wary eyes.

“Malc?” Her cautious tone made him stop mid-away to show her a coy grin.

“I’ll be back in a wink!” He pointed her a bony finger and said, before disappearing upstairs. “Don’t go anywhere!” 

She blinked at him and kept staring at the stairs with a half-grin on her face. It took him less than a minute to come back and to find her at the same place he had left her. Her dark eyes watched him with curiosity, but still sparkled, reflecting the same happiness that burned him from inside. 

Malcolm couldn’t stop smiling or control the insane beats of his heart, eyes locked on hers when he opened the velvet box and got on one knee, eliciting a small laugh from her lips. 

“Marry me, Clara Oswald. I’ll be yours, forever, if you’ll have me.”

He then took her hand and slid the ring on her finger, kissing it, before he stood up again to take her in his arms. 

Sometimes, he thought, unable to hold a smile when she pulled him back to the couch, her mouth hot against his, her hands fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, there is nothing more perfect than imperfection. 

\-- 0 – 0 –

They got married on a particularly sunny morning, in a simple ceremony at the Register Office, having Jamie and Sam as their witnesses. Their vows were shared with the few family members they both had; her grandmother, her father and her horrible stepmother (who had never hesitated to make it clear what a big mistake Clara was doing by marrying him), his unbelievably well-behaved niece and nephew, and a very emotional Lucy.

Malcolm said a few words as his vows. His hand was trembling slightly when he took Clara’s to put the wedding band on her finger. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears, a soft smile playing on his lips while he listened to her. When it finished, his lips lingered on hers longer than it should have, but neither of them cared a thing about it, their hearts so light that they both were sure they could fly.

The short ceremony had been Clara’s idea, knowing that Malcolm wouldn’t want to get any attention over him these days, though she had had a lot of trouble convincing him she was completely fine with that. She had never been one dreaming about fairy tales wedding receptions. 

“You’ve already been tricked into marrying the fucking frog, so the least you should have is a proper wedding. You know,” he motioned a large hand in the air, “one of those with flowers every-fucking-where, tables with satin towels with those ridiculously big bows, a dozen of giggling bridesmaids inside the same lilac frocks. Maybe even a fucking orchestra playing our song.” Clara quirked an eyebrow at that, which he pretended to ignore, the amused glint in his stormy eyes betraying him. “And, of course, every woman in the party sighing because of your fabulous dress and exquisite beauty and every single man just pissed off with me because I am a fucking lucky cunt.”

Despite the hint of a smug grin on his lips and his uncommon choice of words, which made her hold back a smile, Clara knew how serious he was about all that. She watched him for a long moment before she approached him slowly. 

“Well,” she finally said, pulling him closer by his tie and watching his eyes lit up, “sometimes all you need is to kiss the frog to change him into a prince, you know?” She brushed her lips on his, deliberately nibbling at his lower lip and prompting him to pull her closer for a tender and deeper kiss. When they parted, his eyes sparkled with that familiar light she loved so much, his hands on her hips to keep her close.

“I can’t complain about you total lack of taste, love,” he nuzzled her nose gently with his, his lips brushing hers once more with a small smile.

“You’d better not,” she slid her hands up the lapels of his jacket with a grin. “Besides, I’m not one for big weddings, especially ones with bridesmaids in lilac,” she almost grimaced at the thought.

His short laugh amused her.

“If I’m not mistaken, we first kissed at one,” a teasing eyebrow quirked up, blue-grey eyes warmly wandering over her features.

“For which you invited yourself,” her fingers played with the buttons of his shirt and his eyes followed her motion for a quick moment before they came back to look into hers.

“Fucking genius I am, hmm?” He whispered on her lips, kissing her again, making her melt inside his embrace. When they broke the kiss, she rested her head on his chest and felt the slow motion of his hand up and down her back.

“You sure?”

Clara nodded, moving away from him to look him in the eyes.

“I just need you, Malcolm. Nothing else.” 

\-- 0 – 0 --

Lucy held him tight, shamelessly weeping on his shoulder and making Malcolm struggle against his own tears.

“Come on, Lu. You’re scaring the kids,” he said in a quiet tone. “Not to mention ruining my new suit.”

She muffled a laugh on his chest and finally moved away from him, drying her tears with the handkerchief he had offered her. With a chuckle, Malcolm held her hand between his, preventing her from continuing with her failed attempt to dry his jacket, making her look at him with a warm smile. 

“Take good care of her, Malc,” she squeezed his hand affectionately. “She is one of a kind.”

Malcolm’s eyes immediately searched for Clara, his heart bursting with happiness and love, lips curled in that smile that didn’t want to leave his face. Clara. His wife. Even now it was hard to believe she was there, with him. 

“And please,” Lucy’s tender touch on his arm made him look back at her, “let yourself be happy. She loves you. And you love her. That’s all that matters.”

He would’ve scoffed at anyone else at that and he almost opened his mouth to tell her that of course, he would, but he had no answer before the raw emotion in his sister’s eyes. Lucy, kind and strong and loving Lucy, who knew him too damn well to not read right through him and see all his fears and insecurities. So, he only nodded and swallowed back the lump in his throat, kissing her hand with fondness. 

“I will.”

\-- 0 – 0 --

After the ceremony, they went to Lucy’s for a small celebration, her gift for the newlyweds, she had proudly announced before they left the Register Officer.

A smiling woman opened Lucy’s front door welcoming them in and helping them all out of their coats. Malcolm instantly recognised her as one of his sister’s best friends, the one who had a catering business, he remembered as soon as he walked into the living room looking around with unveiled emotion. 

The place had been completely transformed, elegantly decorated with tall vases of flowers. In the centre of the room, where usually the couch and the armchairs were, rested now a large table, fully prepared to accommodate all of them.

He felt the gentle squeeze of Clara’s hand in his, her dark eyes showing the same commotion he felt in his chest when they both enveloped Lucy in a warm embrace.

“Oh, Lu, you really shouldn’t have-”

“You are my family,” Lucy interrupted Clara immediately, looking from her to Malcolm. “And I love you both to bits. So, of course, I should! Now, please, take your places and enjoy yourselves.”

They all shared a wonderful meal in lively conversation and Malcolm couldn’t remember a happier moment in his entire life. Clara seemed to glow and he could hardly take his eyes away from her, his hand searching for hers to hold the whole time. 

He could barely contain his emotion listening to Dave’s speech, the proud father of the bride giving them once more his blessing and raising his glass to their happiness along with all the most important people in their lives. Malcolm squeezed Clara’s hand lightly, seeing the glint of tears on the corners of her eyes and she lifted her head to look at him. He then took her hand to his lips to place a warm kiss on its back, his eyes never leaving hers, making her smile. 

But the emotional moment vanished in a burst of laughter with Jamie’s clever and funny speech. His best man, his best friend, unbelievably spoke without a single curse (for the sake of the small ones, he had assured them both at the beginning with a smug smirk). Though, by the end, Malcolm was starting to dwell on what would be the most painful way to kill him for the couple of embarrassing stories of Malcolm’s past he decided to include in his speech. Not to mention the worst jokes he had already listened to. But for his credit, Jamie surprisingly let slip a warm smile when he finally raised his toast to their happiness, telling Malcolm how much of a lucky man he was for having her. 

They hadn’t planned a honeymoon, not for now at least. Their wedding day had carefully been chosen to be at the beginning of a bank holiday so they could enjoy some time together before Malcolm needed to get back to all the frantic and madness of the reelection campaign. Clara was fine with that, the two of them would have time after that to plan and go on a real and proper honeymoon. 

So it was with utter surprise that they watched as Sam and Jamie put a bag in each one of their hands, some time in the middle of the afternoon. 

“What is this supposed to mean?” 

Malcolm looked from one of his friends to another, both of them showing broad grins on their faces with their shared secret. 

“That you’d both better change into something more comfortable,” Jamie said handing him an envelope. “And quickly, if you don’t want to get late for your flight.”

“Flight?” Malcolm blinked. “What flight?”

“Come on, Malc. Take a look inside,” Sam grinned at them, pointing to the envelope that Malcolm opened slowly with wary eyes.

Inside he found two plane tickets to France and a voucher of a booked cottage in a small village in the South. He opened his mouth to protest, but Sam lifted one finger preventing him with a fake stern face. 

“It is not polite to refuse a wedding gift, especially from the bride’s maid and the best man. So, shut up,” she broke into a smile watching Clara and Malcolm’s stunned faces. “Besides, there is a taxi outside waiting for you two, so you need to hurry up.”

“Oh, Sam…” 

“Don’t thank me yet, Malcolm. And now, for good measures, I’ll have your phone, please,” she extended her hand, palm up, waiting for him to give her his work phone.

“Wait. No! I can’t just-”

“Of course you can. It is your honeymoon. Tom is aware of it and Jamie and I will take care of the things for the week. Now, give it to me.”

He looked at Clara for support, but she just tilted her head with lifted eyebrows because why wouldn’t she agree with that? It was her honeymoon too. Malcolm rolled his eyes in defeat, handing Sam the blasted thing with a dramatic ruff before she rushed them both upstairs to change.

Half an hour later, Malcolm and Clara were tucked in a taxi going to catch a plane that would take them to France for what he only could hope would be unforgettable days. He looked at the beautiful woman next to him and grinned, happiness and pride bursting in his chest. 

He was so ready for this, for the first day of the rest of his life, their lives, together.


End file.
